US Congress To Read Out Stanford Sexual Assault Victim's Statement

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.)&nbsp;will host an hour-long reading of a widely circulated statement from the victim of a 2015 sexual assault by former Stanford University student Brock Turner.

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Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) will host an hour-long reading of a widely circulated statement from the victim of a 2015 sexual assault by former Stanford University student Brock Turner.

U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) will host a one-hour special order on the evening of June 15. Members of Congress, both men and women, will read the Stanford survivor’s statement in full over the course of an hour. Members from both parties are expected to participate.

Speier and Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) both read excerpts from the victim's statement on the House floor Thursday morning. The readings officially put the words of a sexual assault victim into the congressional record, making it a documented part of American history.

"Her bravery inspires me, as I hope it inspires you," Speier said on the floor Thursday.

Reading the statement into the Congressional record, Speier told The Huffington Post in an interview Thursday, is "a symbolic act that underscores the gravity of the offense."

The victim's statement, Speier continued, "so dramatically and powerfully reflects the damage, the scarring that conduct has done on the woman. It's a very extraordinarily powerful statement. I hope that by reading it into the record, by elevating this issue, that we're going to take some steps to provide leadership on the federal level to address sexual assault on campus and in the military."